


In Memoriam

by legallyblack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Summer, hermione packing for the horcrux hunt, implied Romione
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:27:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29137800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legallyblack/pseuds/legallyblack
Summary: Hermione prepares for the Horcrux Hunt





	In Memoriam

Hermione was reading. To be fair, she always was, but at the moment she was reading with the intended purpose of not being bothered. The small cafe she was currently sitting in was empty save for her and a few teenagers, giggling in the corner. She looked at the group. They were probably her age. One of them was showing their friend what looked to be a love letter. Hermione sighed. Being a muggle-born witch, she hadn’t exactly had the normal secondary school experience. In fact, the last time she had step foot into a muggle school was when she was 10. She thought, rather sadly, about the state that her actual school was in at the moment. Just 5 days ago, she had left Hogwarts for what she, Ron, and Harry knew was presumably the last time. 

It pained Hermione to think about the fact that she wasn’t going to complete her education. Of course, the situation at hand was much more important, but sometimes, she would let her mind become hopeful, and maybe, just maybe, if she survived this war, she could go back and finish her schooling. She shook the thought out of her mind. Who knew how long this Horcrux hunt was going to take? And even then, how would they actually defeat Voldemort? The uncertainty weighed on Hermione like a bludger. 

As much as she hated to admit it, she often found herself wondering how exactly she would be of use during this hunt. All the information she had to go off of was given to Harry by Dumbledore, and it was close to none at this point. Hermione wasn’t the strongest fighter. At least, physically. She was able to out-wit just about anyone with spells and charms, but this? This was different. Voldemort and his followers fought to kill. Brutal force. Illegal curses. Hermione was no match for any of it. She remembered suddenly the Horcrux books she had stolen from Dumbledore’s office. In a very Un-Hermione like fashion, she hadn’t touched them in the almost week she had been at home. She was scared of them, scared that the information in them still wouldn’t be enough to send them on their way, putting them back at square one. 

“Miss? We’re closing up shop.” Hermione was snapped out of her thoughts. The waitress in front of her looked concerned, probably at her solemn state. Hermione checked the clock on the coffee bar. 10:30. It was that late? She felt a surge of guilt. While she had never really had a set curfew, probably given the fact that she was only home for a few months out of the year, if any, her parents still probably wouldn’t be keen on her staying out in public into the night. 

She packed her rucksack and left the cafe. It was dark out, with only the street lamps lighting the pavement. Luckily, her house was only half a mile away. Her parents were normally early sleepers, so Hermione prayed that they would be asleep. She was never in the habit of sneaking in or out of the house, but she wasn’t looking for an argument.

The garden gate squeaked as she pushed it open, wincing as she did. She slowly entered the house, when suddenly she was met with none other than her mother. “Hermione Jean Granger, what in the world were you doing?” Her Mum looked scared and angry. Hermione stuttered. “I was at the Coffee Bean, reading. Just reading. I lost track of time, I’m sorry!” Her mother looked behind her and saw the heavy books poking out of her worn rucksack. She remembered that rucksack. She had given it to Hermione the summer she left for Hogwarts 6 years ago. Hermione had ended up leaving it for the old fashioned school bag that the other students at Hogwarts apparently used. It had been the first of many occasions where Hermione had left behind muggle things in favor of magical ones. Her mother looked back at her. “Hermione, I know you’re almost an adult, but it’s still dangerous to be out by yourself so late. I heard what happened to your headmaster, dear. It’s scary. Please don’t do it again.” Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Her mother was worried, not mad. “Mum, I’m sorry. I’ve just had a lot on my mind. I’ll make sure that if I’m out, I’ll come back early.” Her mother looked tired and too lazy to argue. Hermione had a strong feeling that she would be hearing about this from her father tomorrow. 

“Go to bed, dear. I’ll see you in the morning. Don’t forget, your Aunt is visiting town tomorrow and she’ll be stopping by for tea!”

“Goodnight, Mum.”

Hermione walked up the stairs and into her bedroom. Dropping the rucksack on her bed, she started thinking about the fact that even in this decent sized bag, she had only been able to fit in 4 heavy books. When you’re on the hunt, you’ll need to pack. Hermione hadn’t even thought about it. With a small laugh, she recognized the fact that Harry and Ron would most definitely forget to pack. She would most likely have to do it for them. She was invited to go stay with the Weasley’s starting on July 15, so she’d have plenty of time to ask Ron for his clothes. Harry, on the other hand, implored a harder dilemma. From what she’d heard from Ron, and her knowledge of the wizarding world, the Order could only collect Harry from the Dursleys on his 17th birthday, when the trace broke. She would most probably just have to pack his entire rucksack.

Hermione looked around her room. It would be too impractical to lug around a suitcase who knows where. What if they had to make a quick getaway? She was pacing around her room now. She was just about to call it a night when the thought hit her. An undetectable extension charm. Of course!

Granted, she had never actually performed the charm out of lack of need, but she’d read enough about it to know the theory well. Feeling more motivated than she had in weeks, Hermione set out into her closet to find a suitable bag. Not too big, but also with an opening wide enough to fit some of the bigger items. She was reaching around blindly when her hands fell on a soft fabric. Pulling it out, she realized that it was her Mum’s old purse. It was a drawstring pouch made of a silky purple fabric. There were brown beads adorning the ends of the tie strings. In all, it looked like a giant plum. But it was perfect.

She set to work practicing the charm. After a few failed attempts, in which she accidentally charmed the bag to be 7 feet wide, the charm was set. She plunged her entire arm into the small bag, feeling at the massive space inside. Hermione felt immensely proud of herself. Now, wherever they were, they’d be able to take anything with them! 

As Hermione went to sleep, she began planning in her head how she would spend the next month. There was still a lot to be done, but she felt much better about it.

…

Hermione awoke to the sound of a bird fluttering outside her window. With a groan, she turned over on her side, only to be met with two owls: Hedwig, and Pigwidgeon. With an admittedly juvenile squeal of excitement, she leaped out of bed, unfastening the two letters from their deliverers. After giving both owls a handful of treats, she sent them off with a smile. 

It would be proper to note that it had only been a few days since Hermione had last seen or heard from her two best friends. While she had gone weeks without news in the past, the current situation was different. Hermione had left the wizarding world just a week after one of the most shocking events in recent years- the death of Albus Dumbledore. Naturally, her parents didn’t know the dark history behind his death, only that it was a shocking tragedy. Ron lived so close to everything, it was impossible for him to not be in the loop. Harry, technically still in muggle London, would not know much either, but he practically lived unspoken to by his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin. They simply didn’t care that he was “The Chosen One”.

Hermione, on the other hand, had to pretend. 

Explaining the Voldemort situation to her parents meant that she would have to explain the entirety of the danger she’d faced since year 1. They’d likely be mad that she had lied to them all this time, so she’d decided that they just didn’t need to know. A feat that proved to be increasingly difficult. The wizarding world’s situation was becoming so huge that tidbits were even making it into Muggle newspapers, though heavily sheltered. 3 times now had her mother come into her room, holding the Daily Tribune and asking about the dark lord. Her parents were smart. They knew that something was wrong. They also knew that Hermione was very much informed as to what it was. 

This is why, for the last few days ever since she had come home, Hermione had been avoiding her parents, staying in her room, and spending her free time reading in coffee shops. Just yesterday, she had successfully charmed her Mum’s old beaded bag so that it had the capacity of a freight elevator. This was advanced magic and something that Hermione was extremely proud of. 

However, she couldn’t bring herself to pack it. Ironic, that with all the things they would likely face in the coming weeks, months, or even years, the most daunting task in the present was securing all the necessary materials needed for this journey.

The truth was, Hermione didn’t even know what to pack. She had all the books, but just looking at the gigantic pile in the corner of her room, she already knew that she would have to prioritize. 

She checked the calendar on her wall. June 15. That meant she had less than a month before she was due to leave for the Burrow. She hadn’t even thought about how she was going to tell her parents yet. She highly doubted they would be ok with her traveling across the country in search of deadly magical objects with her two school friends. She would need to convince them, and if that didn’t work? Then- 

She thought about what she had told Ron when they had reached King’s Cross. Memory Alteration was tricky, complicated, harsh, and incredibly illegal. Hermione doubted she would have to come to that, so much so that she pushed the awful thought from her mind. 

Lost in thought, she had completely forgotten about the two letters waiting on her desk. Knowing full well that Harry wasn’t in the position to write her and Ron letters for fun, she opened his first, expecting important information.

Hermione,

I hope you are doing well. I would assume so, considering it’s only been a week, but you never know these days. I wanted to write to you to talk about the upcoming school project. You know, 7th years have to do that big essay about the **crux** of gillyweed-

Hermione instantly recognized the code language. He was talking about the Horcruxes. Eyes watching for further hidden messages, she kept reading:

-I obviously would not want to give anything away, which is why I need you to do some research on the **R** egular **A** lliance **B** ond of plants and magical creatures. I’m certain you’ll find it in your books.

I can’t wait to see you and Ron again. Maybe I’ll finally get a birthday party after all these years.

Thanks, Harry

Hermione laughed at his cordial message. She had understood his bolding of the letters R.A.B, the initials of the mysterious entity that had “stolen the real locket”. The trio had been sure that their mail would be tracked, so they had agreed that any important information and news should be kept on the down-low, hence the code. 

She would have to do more research on R.A.B. Not that she hadn’t already, but at the moment it was the only lead they had.

She moved on to Ron’s letter, which was stamped with his signature Chudley Cannon's seal.

Dear Hermione,

How’s summer going? Well, I should already know, probably stressful. Mum’s gone mental down here. Can you believe she doesn’t want Ginny returning to Hogwarts? Says it might be dangerous. Not that I blame her. I figure most parents’ faith in Hogwarts was due to old Dumbledore. Now that he’s got the sack, there’s probably chaos across the country. Anyways, just wanted to let you know that Mum says your welcome at the Burrow earlier if you want. I think she’s scared about you living with muggles given everything that’s going on. I told her that you’re smart enough to fend off any attacks, which is true, but even I have to say...you sure you don’t want to visit early? You already know what’s coming, and if anything it would give us more time to plan. Of course, we wouldn’t have Harry, but we could always...relay the information. 

Anyways, I hope you’re well. Say hi to your mum and dad for me! I haven’t heard from Harry yet. Keep me updated, and please stay safe.

Love, Ron

Hermione blushed at the term of endearment. “Love, Ron”. That didn’t mean anything, did it? Ugh. Now was NOT the time to be focusing on school crushes. There were much bigger issues at hand.

She started by replying to Ron’s letter. While she would never say no to spending more time with the Weasleys, who had become like a second family to her, Hermione knew in the back of her mind that her days with her parents were numbered. She also had nothing planned or packed, and she really needed to get a move on it.

Dearest Ron,

I’m doing well, and I hope you are too. In an answer to your question, unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to come any earlier. There’s stuff I need to get done here first before I leave the muggle world. I hope you can understand. I miss you greatly, and I can’t wait to see you and Harry!—

She had added the “and Harry” as an afterthought.

—Send love to your family! I miss Molly’s cooking and the girl talks with Ginny. See you on the 15th!

Love, Hermione

Harry’s letter didn’t need a response. He would know she had gotten his message when Hedwig returned with one of her stationary cards.

After sending off the owls to their respective owners, Hermione turned back to her drawer, where the shiny beaded bag lay, empty. Hearing from her friends had set off the boost of productivity deep inside Hermione.

The first job would be the books.

Knowing she would be the only one reading them anyway, Hermione took the liberty of deciding which books would need to be taken. They would need books that would help for a deciphering situation, as well as life in the wild. After nearly two hours, half of which were spent with Hermione getting distracted reading the books themselves, she had made a considerable pile. She had cut down the stack of about 24 to a mere 10 books. These included:

-The Spellman’s Syllabary

-The Monster Book of Monsters

-The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts

-Break with a Banshee

\- An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe

-Secrets of the Darkest Art

\- A History of Magic

\- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

-Advanced Potion Making

-Hogwarts, A History

She admittedly didn’t really need that last one, but she wouldn’t feel right without her favorite book. Hermione couldn’t think of any other useful books that she currently owned- she would have to ask Arthur about his library when she got to the Burrow. Books were done, now clothes. At the moment, she could obviously only pack her own, so that’s what she did. Hermione was always one for practicality instead of style when it came to clothes, so in a way, her wardrobe made her job a hell of a lot easier. She packed whatever she could, marking down essentials for all the possible weather conditions. She would have to ask Arthur about a tent. How she was going to do that without letting him know exactly why she needed a tent? Well, that was for another time. Hermione checked the clock. Noon. She’d been packing for 3 hours. She realized with a sharp pang that her parents hadn’t called her down for either breakfast or lunch, which they always did. At least before this summer. Her mum hadn’t even come in to check on her like usual, although granted, she would have questioned why Hermione was packing hiking boots. Looking around her room for anything else she might have forgotten, her eyes landed on a small glass bottle sitting on her dresser. Upon further inspection, she realized that it was the perfume that Ron had given her during their 5th year. She doubted he even knew what the scent was, but Hermione thought it smelled lovely. 

In an act that would have made 15 year old Hermione gag, she threw the bottle into the already enormous pile of things they were to take. 

She knew she was missing things. Lots of them. But it was a start. 


End file.
